The present invention relates to a method for operating a machine tool. The invention also relates to a projection device that is or can be used with the method and to a machine tool with such a projection device.
The following discussion of related art is provided to assist the reader in understanding the advantages of the invention, and is not to be construed as an admission that this related art is prior art to this invention.
The term machine tool here and below encompasses machine tools, robots and other numerically controlled machines with multiple degrees of freedom. Machine tools, in other words for example machine tools and robots, are known per se. Likewise known are methods for operating such machine tools. When operating a milling machine, as an example of a machine tool, for example at least one trajectory is predefined for a tool, namely a milling head or similar, and the milling machine uses suitable control, known per se, of the degrees of freedom, frequently also called axes, to cause the milling head to follow the predefined trajectory and therefore a contour corresponding to the trajectory is created in a respective workpiece to be machined. Alternatively to moving the respective tool, consideration can also be given to moving the workpiece. Moving the workpiece in this way is also effected with corresponding control of the respective axes of the machine tool. Generally it is therefore found that for operating, for example, milling machines or similar as an example of a machine tool, in each case at least one contour which the respective workpiece is to keep to is predefined, whereby the contour is created as a result of a relative movement of tool and workpiece, in that either the tool or the workpiece is moved along a trajectory necessary to keep to the contour.
Functionally identical relationships apply for soldering and/or automatic placement machines, in which for operation a workpiece is not machined with tools in the sense of abrasive shaping, but in which a placement head carries out placement and/or soldering operations. Robots, as another embodiment of machine tools relevant in this case, are suitable, similarly to milling machines, for the abrasive machining of workpieces, as well as for handling and loading operations, for welding operations (welding robots in the automotive industry), for assembling circuit boards, for precise repetition of machining steps, for instance in medical engineering, and so on.
However, one aspect which is as yet not entirely optimal when operating such or similar machine tools is that programming them is complex and requires a precise knowledge in each case of coordinate systems used and of any changes in their orientation during the operation of a machine tool.
Accordingly programming or commissioning, etc. a machine tool calls for extraordinarily good ability of spatial imagination from the respective expert and the ability to translate this into a description of movement operations in the respective coordinate system provided for programming the machine tool.
It would therefore be desirable and advantageous to obviate prior art shortcomings and to provide an improved method for operating a machine tool which assists a programmer or operator of such a machine tool when programming, commissioning and/or using it.